For an operator of a mobile telecommunications network, it is important to be able to monitor the performance of the network. Information about the performance of the network can be gathered in the nodes of the network, and reported to an operations and management (O&M) system of the operator.
Typical monitoring systems include counter systems and tracing functions. Counters have a low resolution, in that they aggregate a large amount of information into a single number. For example, a base station can count the total number of dropped calls in a cell, and can then report the result to the O&M system.